A meeting between two community members and town senior staff left a positive feeling in the air.

Kari Murphy, Ben Clarke (Chair for Family Community Support Services), Rick Deans (Senior Manager Infrastructure), and Gerry Murphy (Parks and Open Spaces Manager) spent some time going over improvements which will help make our railway crossings safer in the future.

Conversation circled around at grade crossings, connectivity of Cochrane's downtown areas and for Murphy and Clarke importance of fixing/ safeguarding fencing along the track.

Clarke and Murphy share an estimate to fix our current fencing and install side access gates at crossings with road access was ballparked at roughly $100,000; while both know it won't keep people off the track who want to find a way,  it is a start. "The biggest gap is between the Totem building and the (Highway) 22 both sides of the track, it may not need to be fenced. It depends where you start and how much is patched, it can be tailored."

Murphy's son, Lamont, was killed on the tracks in the summer of 2015, and has spent 22 months advocating rail safety especially among the teen-aged population. Both Clarke and Murphy say conversation was positive, receptive, and encouraging. 

Deans shares conversations between CP and town staff  are going well and safety of Cochrane residents is a concern. "The Town and CPRail have built a very positive and collaborative relationship, and as partners take any activity around the tracks serious. We are currently identifying any risks and potential solutions through town along the CP right-of-way."

While conversations are just beginning, Murphy and Clarke left feeling hopeful.

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To Cross or Not To Cross?